Multiple band antenna structures

ABSTRACT

Various antenna designs are presented that can be used to provide for wireless communication in electronic devices, such as wearable electronic devices. Various embodiments provide antenna structures and designs that can support multiple frequency bands in a relatively compact space. Various embodiments utilize a primary conductive ring embedded in the walls of the housing as antennas for various forms of wireless communication. The conductive ring includes a plurality of conductive elements separated from each other by portions of the housing, the plurality of conductive elements coupled respectively to the one or more signal sources on the PCB. Embodiments may additionally utilize a ground extension element positioned a distance away from the primary conductive ring in an opposite direction from the display module, in which the ground extension element is coupled to a ground connection of the PCB and boosting the antenna signal strength.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application62/779,093, filed Dec. 13, 2018, entitled “MULTIPLE BAND ANTENNASTRUCTURES,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

Modern electronic devices frequently include one or more radio-frequency(RF) antennas to facilitate wireless communication with other electronicdevices. For example, in small wearable electronic devices the antennasmay be configured to fit within a restricted space while still providingdesirable emission and reception characteristics. It can be desirablefor these devices to support multiple wireless communication bands, butthe restricted space makes the successful inclusion and operation of allnecessary components challenging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wearable electronic device that can beutilized to implement aspects of the various embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first top view of components of an example deviceincluding a slot and patch antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a second top view of components of an example deviceincluding a slot and patch antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a third top view of components of an example deviceincluding a slot and patch antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section view of components of an exampledevice including a slot and patch antenna assembly in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective, cross-section view of components of anexample device including a slot and patch antenna assembly in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an inverted perspective view of components of anexample device including a slot and patch antenna assembly in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a first top view of components of an example deviceincluding a slot and IFA antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates a second top view of components of an example deviceincluding a slot and IFA antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective, cross-section view of components ofan example device including a slot and IFA antenna assembly inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates an inverted cross-section view of components of anexample device including a slot and IFA antenna assembly in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 12 illustrates a top view of components of an example deviceincluding a hybrid slot antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective, cross-section view of components ofan example device including a hybrid slot antenna assembly in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 14 illustrates an inverted perspective view of components of anexample device including a hybrid slot antenna assembly in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 15 illustrates an inverted perspective view of an example deviceincluding a hybrid slot antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 16 illustrates a top view of components of an example deviceincluding an external slot antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 17 illustrates a cross-section, perspective view of components ofan example device including an external slot antenna assembly inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 18 illustrates a first perspective view of an example deviceincluding an external slot antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 19 illustrates a second perspective view of an example deviceincluding an external slot antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 20 illustrates a top view of components of an example deviceincluding a split ring antenna assembly in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 21 illustrates a perspective view of an example device including asplit ring antenna assembly in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 22 illustrates a first circuit schematic for use with a split ringantenna assembly in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 23 illustrates a second circuit schematic for use with a split ringantenna assembly in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 24 illustrates a cross-section, perspective view of components ofan example device including a dielectrically loaded PIFA assembly inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 25 illustrates a perspective view of components of an exampledevice including a dielectrically loaded PIFA assembly in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 26 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 2600with an internal split ring antenna, in accordance with one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 27 illustrates a top view of an internal split ring antenna designand a PCB, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 28 illustrates a perspective view of the internal split ringantenna design, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 29 illustrates a top view of a signal boosting ring coupled to asensor module, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 30A-30C illustrate various signal boosting ring designs, inaccordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 31 illustrates an example of a wearable device with a conductiveback-plate, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 32 illustrates an example embodiment of a wearable device with aback-plate that has a conductive coating applied thereon, in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 33 illustrates components of an example computing environment thatcan be utilized in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various embodiments will be described. Forpurposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments.However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that theembodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore,well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe embodiment being described.

Approaches in accordance with various embodiments provide for wirelesscommunication in electronic devices, such as wearable electronicdevices. In particular, various embodiments provide antenna structuresand designs that can support multiple frequency bands (e.g., radiofrequency (RF) bands) in a relatively compact space. Various embodimentsutilize a slot and patch antenna design to support multiple frequencybands. Other embodiments utilize a slot and inverted “F” antenna (IFA)assembly, hybrid slot antenna assembly, or external slot antennaassembly. A split ring antenna assembly can also be used, whereindividual segments of the ring antenna can support specific frequencybands. Other embodiments utilize a dielectrically loaded planar inverted“F” antenna (PIFA) assembly to support various frequency bands.

Various other aspects and functions can be implemented within thevarious embodiments as well as discussed and suggested elsewhere herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a view 100 of an example electronic device 102 beingworn on the arm 104 of a user. Electronic devices, such as wearableelectronic devices, can interact with a user through a touch-sensitivedisplay 106, one or more mechanical buttons 108, or other such inputmechanisms known for such purposes. Such devices can also be configuredto communicate wirelessly with another computing device, such as asmartphone owned by the user wearing the electronic device. While adevice such as a smartwatch or fitness tracker is shown, it should beunderstood that various other types of electronic devices can benefitfrom advantages of the various embodiments as discussed and suggestedherein, and as would be apparent to one or ordinary skill in the art inlight of the present disclosure.

An example electronic device 102 in accordance with various embodimentscan be configured to send and receive data to, and from, one or moreseparate electronic devices (as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 26).To wirelessly send and receive data, such monitoring devices can utilizeone or more antenna elements or assemblies. This may present a varietyof problems, as use of a conventional antenna element may result in deadbands, or non-active areas, in a display window of the device. Theantenna may occupy significant space within the device housing 110,which may be made of a metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum or copper)or other conductive material, or may result in a configuration thatnegatively impacts the space for other components, such as may relate toa power source, power cell, and/or battery. A reduction in size canresult in a corresponding reduction in battery life of the device. Someantennas may be at least partially located outside of the housing 110,which can make it difficult, costly, or otherwise impractical to makethe device water resistant. Some antenna designs exert an upward oroutward force on the display window, causing the display window toseparate from the metal housing over time and no longer be waterresistant. Finally, some antenna designs may be undesirably mechanicallycomplex and/or costly. Accordingly, disclosed herein are embodiments ofelectronic devices, and assemblies for those devices, that address oneor more of the above issues while simultaneously supporting wirelesscommunication over multiple communication bands.

Various embodiments discussed herein include two or more antennastructures, or hybrid antenna structures, that include at least one slotantenna. A slot antenna structure can include at least two portions.First, an example structure can include a monopole antenna having amonopole radiator on a plastic carrier implemented at a top of a displayarea within a metal housing of the device. The monopole radiator isconnected through an antenna clip on a printed circuit board (PCB) to aradio frequency (RF) engine. The monopole antenna can be implemented asa flex film antenna radiator assembled on, for example, a plasticcarrier. The monopole radiator can generate electromagnetic fields toinduce the slot antenna to transmit or receive radio frequency signals.

The slot antenna can be designed to be particularly receptive to (oremissive of) radio frequency (RF) energy at frequencies within thefrequency band(s) for the wireless communications protocol(s) that theantenna is designed to support, and the antenna can also be designed tonot be particularly receptive to (or emissive of) RF energy atfrequencies outside of those frequency band(s). Antennas may achievesuch selectivity by virtue of their physical geometry and the dimensionsthat define that geometry.

As a second portion, a slot antenna structure includes a slot antennaformed by a gap between, for example, a conductive plate and a metaldevice housing. The slot antenna radiates RF signals from the slotstructure through, for example, a display module, a touch module, and/ora glass window. Monopole-excited slot antennas in some embodimentsfunction using a capacitively-coupled monopole antenna radiator toexcite an antenna slot. In other embodiments a device can use a slotantenna with a direct feed from a PCB to excite the slot antenna. For amonopole assembly, the monopole radiator and slot antenna arecapacitively coupled such that the monopole radiator generates a varyingelectric field that induces varying electric fields at the slot antenna,resulting in the emission of RF signals. This coupling of electricfields between the monopole radiator and the slot antenna allows for RFsignals to be transmitted from and received by the device. The monopoleradiator is positioned within the slot area to excite the slot antennathrough electromagnetic field coupling. The dimensions of the slotantenna and monopole antenna can be tuned to achieve targetedcommunication frequency bands. Furthermore, the monopole antenna portioncan be tuned to have a certain length and a matching circuit on the PCBmay be utilized to tune the antenna impedance to achieve targetedperformance characteristics. In some embodiments, the metal plate and/ormetal housing can be conductive. The metal plate and/or metal housingcan include one or more materials that include a conductivity of 1E5Siemens/m and/or higher.

Monopole-excited slot antennas can reduce the dead band of the displaywindow or provide a desirably or advantageously small dead band at a topof the display window. The monopole antenna component that excites theslot antenna can provide a targeted excitation for the slot antenna witha reduced distance between a top side of the metal housing and a displaymodule relative to a pure monopole antenna or inverted-F antenna (IFA)architecture with similar antenna performance. In some embodiments,monopole-excited slot antennas accommodate a device architecture havinga printed circuit board (PCB) mounted close to the bottom of a metalhousing. For tapered metal housings, this allows a relatively largebattery to be placed above the PCB and within the metal housing. Incontrast, devices with similar tapered metal housings employing otherantenna designs may require the PCB to be mounted above the battery toachieve suitable performance, manufacturing costs, and/or mechanicalcomplexity. In such devices, the battery size is reduced relative todevices that incorporate the antenna architectures disclosed herein thatallow the battery to be placed above the PCB.

In some embodiments, monopole-excited slot antenna designs can resideentirely within the metal housing. Advantageously, this facilitatesmanufacturing the device to be water resistant and/or swim proof. Whereat least some portion of the antenna is exterior to the metal housing,vias or holes in the metal housing may be required to send and receiveelectrical signals to the portion of the antenna outside of the metalhousing, which may compromise any water-tight capabilities of thedevice. In some embodiments, monopole-excited slot antenna designs exertno contact pressure force on a glass window or display element of thedevice. Advantageously, this facilitates manufacturing the device to bewater resistant, creating water-tight seals for junctions betweencomponents. Where an antenna exerts an outward force on the displaywindow, for example, the display window may tend to separate from themetal housing, compromising the water-tight seal.

The various implementations discussed herein may be used, for example,to provide a slot antenna that provides BLUETOOTH® functionality,including BLUETOOTH Low Energy (Bluetooth LE or BTLE) functionality.Such a compact and efficient antenna may be of particular use inhighly-integrated devices having a small form factor. For example, thedisclosed antennas can be used in biometric monitoring devices, e.g.,wearable devices that track, report, and communicate various biometricmeasurements, e.g., distance traveled, steps taken, flights of stairsclimbed, etc. Such devices may take the form of a small device that isclipped to a person's clothing or worn on a person's wrist. Such adevice may, for example, contain various processors, printed circuitboards, sensors, triaxial accelerometers, triaxial gyroscopes, analtimeter, a display, a vibramotor, a rechargeable battery, a rechargingconnector, and an input button all within a metal housing that measuresapproximately between 1.62″ and 2″ in length, 0.75″ and 0.85″ in width,and 0.3″ and 0.44″ in thickness. A monopole-excited slot antenna may beused in such a device to provide RF communication in a water resistantand/or swim-proof wearable device, to reduce the dead band of a displaywindow, and/or to provide a more cost-efficient and mechanically simpledevice.

Due to the small size of such devices, monopole-excited slot antennas,such as those disclosed herein, may provide the ability to offer a morecompact communications solution than might otherwise be possible,allowing additional volume within the metal housing to be made availablefor other purposes, such as a larger battery. Such dimensions may proveto be particularly well-suited to RF communications in the BLUETOOTH®wireless protocol bands, e.g., 2402 MHz to 2480 MHz.

Slot antenna assemblies that support other wireless communicationsprotocols may also be designed using principles outlined herein. Forexample, the disclosed antenna architectures may be configured ordimensioned to be suitable for use with wireless networks and radiotechnologies, such as wireless wide area network (WWAN) (e.g., cellular)and/or wireless local area network (WLAN) carriers. Examples of suchwireless networks and radio technologies include but are not limited toLong Term Evolution (LTE) frequency bands or other cellularcommunications protocol bands, GPS (Global Positioning System) or GNSS(Global Navigation Satellite System) frequency bands, ANT™, 802.11, andZigBee™, for example, as well as frequency bands associated with othercommunications standards. The RF radiator size, gaps between components,and other parameters discussed herein may be adjusted as needed in orderto produce a monopole-excited slot antenna, as described herein, that iscompatible with such other frequency bands.

In some implementations, the wireless devices may provide for at leastsome type of biometric monitoring. The term “biometric monitoringdevice” is used herein according to its broad and ordinary meaning, andmay be used in various contexts herein to refer to any type of biometrictracking devices, personal health monitoring devices, portablemonitoring devices, portable biometric monitoring devices, or the like.In some embodiments, biometric monitoring devices in accordance with thepresent disclosure may be wearable devices, such as may be designed tobe worn (e.g., continuously) by a person (i.e., “user”, “wearer”, etc.).When worn, such biometric monitoring devices may be configured to gatherdata regarding activities performed by the wearer, or regarding thewearer's physiological state. Such data may include data representativeof the ambient environment around the wearer or the wearer's interactionwith the environment. For example, the data may comprise motion dataregarding the wearer's movements, ambient light, ambient noise, airquality, etc., and/or physiological data obtained by measuring variousphysiological characteristics of the wearer, such as heart rate,perspiration levels, and the like.

In some cases, a biometric monitoring device may leverage other devicesexternal to the biometric monitoring device, such as an external heartrate monitor in the form of an EKG sensor for obtaining heart rate data,or a GPS or GNSS receiver in a smartphone may be used to obtain positiondata, for example. In such cases, the biometric monitoring device maycommunicate with these external devices using wired or wirelesscommunications connections. The concepts disclosed and discussed hereinmay be applied to both stand-alone biometric monitoring devices as wellas biometric monitoring devices that leverage sensors or functionalityprovided in external devices, e.g., external sensors, sensors orfunctionality provided by smartphones, etc.

In an example electronic device utilizing a slot antenna, the deviceincludes a conductive plate within a conductive housing forming a slotantenna. In this example the antenna is excited by a monopole antenna,but other excitement mechanisms can be used as well as discussedelsewhere herein. The housing (such as a metal housing) may be designedto accommodate a display that will be worn on a person's wrist. Awristband may be connected to the opposing ends of the metal housing,and the completed unit may be worn on someone's wrist. The metal housingmay be designed to conform better to the cross-sectional curvature of aperson's forearm and the interior of the metal housing may be occupiedby various electrical components, including a PCB or FPCB (FlexiblePrinted Circuit Board) that includes, for example, various sensors,processors, power management components, etc. The metal housing mayinclude additional features, such as a metal button bracket, to supportother elements within the metal housing.

The slot antenna is structured as a gap between the metal plate and themetal housing (including the metal button bracket) stopped at two endswith grounding contacts between the metal plate and the metal housing.The gap between the metal plate and the metal housing, running betweenthe grounding contacts, forms the slot antenna that, when excited by themonopole antenna, radiates or receives RF signals. The slot antenna canbe configured as a half-wavelength slot antenna (e.g., a length of about6.25 cm for BLUETOOTH® communication). The slot antenna is not directlydriven by any element (e.g., an antenna feed or coaxial cable) coupledto the printed circuit board or other similar component. The exampleslot antenna includes two slot antenna groundings between the metalplate and the metal housing. A third grounding pin can be included toimprove performance in some embodiments. The groundings can be used totune the slot resonance of the slot antenna (e.g., to resonate withinthe BLUETOOTH® band). The third grounding pin can be used for reducingor preventing unwanted resonances in the remaining gap between the metalhousing and the metal plate that may reduce the radiation efficiency ofthe slot antenna. The grounding clips can be configured as a springcontact or other type of electrical connection. The grounding clips caninclude elements that terminate in a leaf spring that presses againstthe metal housing or metal button bracket.

If a monopole design is used, the monopole antenna can be designed toexcite the slot antenna in a targeted mode. The monopole antennaincludes a flex antenna as the monopole radiator on a monopole antennacarrier made of a plastic mechanical component. The flex antenna isassembled on the surface of the carrier and the carrier is placed insidethe metal housing. The carrier can be attached to the metal housing orother component of the device.

In some embodiments a display element can be overlaying at least aportion of the components of the device. The slot antenna can bepositioned under a display window of the display element. The slotantenna can then radiate through the window. In some embodiments, andmerely by way of example, the display window can be, according to someembodiments, between about 0.65″×1.05″ (16.5 mm×26.6 mm) to about0.77″×1.28″ (19.6 mm×32.6 mm).

As mentioned, there may be various frequency bands to be supported insuch a device for different types of wireless communication. This caninclude frequency bands supporting communication protocols such asLong-Term Evolution (LTE) communications, low-power wide-area network(LPWA) air interfaces such as LTE Cat-M1, Global Navigation SatelliteSystem (GNSS), BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, and the like. In some embodiments,there may be multiple frequency bands or ranges supported for a singleprotocol. The desire to support multiple communication protocols in anelectronic device with limited space can provide a number of challengeswith respect to antenna design. For example, when multiple protocols arerequired an antenna design in accordance with one embodiment needs tosupport bands covering ranges such as from about 746 MHz to about 787MHz for cellular low band (LB) communications, from about 1.71 GHZ toabout 2.155 GHz for cellular high band (HB) communications, from about1.57 GHz to about 1.61 GHz for the GNSS band, and from about 2.4 GHz toabout 2.48 GHz for the Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi band. As mentioned, in adevice such as a smart watch or biometric tracking device the space forplacing antennas is very limited. Further, the coupling between antennascan be quite strong in such an electrically small device containingmultiple antennas. As such, the antennas need to be carefully designedto achieve acceptable antenna performance. For some devices certainantenna designs are unable to coexist with other device components, suchas an electrocardiogram (ECG) electrode interface for a biometrictracker. In the event that antenna designs are integrated in the devicehousing and/or exposed to external view, it can be desirable to designthe antenna(s) in such a way as to achieve an attractive industrialdesign or aesthetic.

Accordingly, approaches in accordance with various embodiments provideantenna designs and assemblies that can support wireless communicationsover various frequency bands while accounting for at least some of theissues discussed herein with respect to such support. In variousembodiments, the antenna concepts are integrated with housings withvarying amounts of metal in the industrial design, such as full metalhousings or metal housings with surface cuts. These antenna designssupport different levels of antenna over-the-air (OTA) requirements asdiscussed herein.

Slot+Patch Antenna Design

FIG. 2 illustrates a first top view 200 of components of an exampledevice in accordance with one embodiment. This design incorporates apatch antenna design with a slot antenna. A patch antenna, or othermicrostrip antenna, can utilize a patch element as a relativelynarrowband, wide-beam antenna. A patch antenna can take the form of anelement pattern etched in a metal trace bonded to a dielectric substratesuch as a printed circuit board (PCB). As discussed later herein the PCBmay include a PCB bracket that can help to insulate the PCB. The patchcan include a metal layer bonded to the PCB to form a ground plane.While a rectangular shape is illustrated, various other shapes can beutilized for the patch element as well within the scope of the variousembodiments. In some embodiments, wider bandwidth can be obtained byutilizing a conductive (e.g., metal) patch mounted above the groundplane using dielectric spacers.

In FIG. 2, a pair of slot antennas 202, 204 are shown formed in a gaparound the periphery of the device display 212 but inside the conductivedevice housing 214. Each of the slot antenna pair supports a differentfrequency range. The slots in this example are formed between the edgesof the PCB and the interior of the metal housing. A first slot antenna202 is separated from the second slot antenna 204 by a pair of slotgrounds 308 illustrated in FIG. 3. The example device includes threedifferent ports or antennas. A first port 206 can be used as a feed forthe first slot antenna 202 for LTE and GPS communications, or only LTEcommunications in some embodiments. In FIG. 3, the patch antenna 302component is illustrated, which can be a conductive plate and sits underthe display 212 illustrated in FIG. 2. As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG.3, a second port 208 can be used as a ground connection between thepatch antenna 302 and the conductive housing 211. In some embodiments, alumped component can be used to couple the patch antenna 302 to theconductive housing 211. A third port 210 can be used as a feed for thesecond slot antenna 204 for Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH communications, and insome embodiments can be used for GPS communications as well, such aswhere the first port is only used for LTE communications. Various otherprotocols can utilize these ports as well in other embodiments. Theaddition of a passive patch antenna element provides a natural structureresonance for communications protocols such as the LTE low bandprotocol, using RF frequencies below 1.0 GHz. Such a design provides forrelative ease of matching using an appropriate matching circuit. Such adesign can also provide easier matching and the ability to utilize thehigh efficiency from the slot antenna 202. The patch can also generateanother resonance separate from the slot antenna resonance(s) to coveradditional bands, such as where the slot antenna has resonances coveringthe GNSS and LTE HB frequencies (˜2 GHz) and the patch has a resonancecovering the LTE LB frequencies (<1 GHz). The port 304 in FIG. 3 is afeed for the first slot antenna 202 coupled from the PCB to the batterybracket. In some of embodiments, the feed can be coupled from the PCB tothe conductive housing. The port 310 is another feed for the second slotantenna 204 which can provide additional coverage for the BT/WiFifrequency range.

Various other components are available in the top view 300 of FIG. 3 aswell. For example, the slot grounds 308 are two electric connectionsbetween the PCB 503 and the metal housing 311. They are the twogrounding terminals shared for both slot antenna 202 and slot antenna204. Meanwhile, they also provide the separations for the two slotantennas 202 and 204. The holes 306 are through holes cut out on thepatch antenna plate to reduce the coupling from the patch antenna totall components on the display flex or PCB. A feed 310 for the Wi-Fi andBLUETOOTH signals is illustrated, as well as an LTE and GNSScommunications feed 304. The feed element can be a spring clip invarious embodiments, creating a connection between the PCB and eitherthe housing or battery bracket. In one embodiment, the slot antenna canbe a single or multiple half-wavelength antenna that can be used for theLTE middle band (˜2 GHz), GPS, and BT/WiFi bands. The patch antenna canbe a parasitic conductive plate utilized to enable high efficiency LTElow band (<1 GHz) resonance excited by the slot antenna 202. Thisexample device includes dual antenna cavities. FIG. 4 illustratesanother top view 400 wherein display touch flexes 404 are illustratedover the NFC antenna 402.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view 500 showing an examplestacking of components that can be utilized in accordance with variousembodiments. In this example, the feed 504 for the first slot antenna isillustrated between the PCB 503 and the battery bracket 509. A patchcavity 507 is situated at a cut-away portion of the conductive patch505. In this example, the battery bracket 509 is a conductive plateholding the battery 508 in place. The back cavity 510 is the gap betweenPCB 503 and battery bracket 509, or between PCB shield 502 and batterybracket 509. This back cavity 510 supports the antenna resonance modefor slot antenna 202 and slot antenna 204 (FIG. 2). The back cavity canbe filled with components or shields mounted at the bottom side of PCB503. In some embodiments, the back cavity 510 can be a gap loaded withdielectric materials.

FIG. 6 illustrates another cross-sectional view 600 of an exampledevice. In this example, the cover glass 602 overlies the display module604. There is a gap 606 for the display and touch flexes and the NFCantenna between the display module 604 and the conductive patch 608. Apatch antenna back cavity 610 is formed under the conductive patch 608and above the printed circuit board (PCB) 612 which maintains theresonance mode for the patch antenna. The patch antenna 608 is coupledto the metal housing 622 through the port 601. The port 601 can be ametal spring contact directly coupled from the match patch 608 to themetal housing 622. In some embodiments, the port 601 can be a lumpedcomponent coupled from the conductive patch 608 to the metal housing 622to adjust the resonance mode of the conductive patch 608. The PCB 612and PCB shield 614 are positioned under the patch antenna back cavity,with the PCB shield formed to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI)from the nearby components. A battery bracket 618 is used to hold thebattery 620 in place within the housing, in this case with respect tothe conductive metal housing 622. A slot antenna back cavity 616 isformed between the PCB shield 614 and the battery bracket 618. FIG. 7illustrates a perspective view 700 with components of the stack flipped,such that the conductive patch 702 is illustrated on top of thetouch-sensitive display module 708. In this view, a series lumpedcomponent 706 is illustrated that can be used to adjust the patchantenna resonance. A ground connection 704 to the conductive metalhousing is also illustrated. A number of cutting holes 710 areillustrated in the patch antenna 702 that are used to reduce couplingfrom the components of the display module 708.

In some embodiments, the device can include an antenna matching circuitto achieve targeted antenna impedance. For example, an appropriatematching circuit can be used with the LTE, GNSS, and BLUETOOTH/Wi-Fiengines, providing high efficiency for all signals with acceptablereturn loss. Such an approach can improve both RF system transmissionand reception. The antenna matching circuit design can be included onthe PCB. The antenna matching circuit can be configured to connect thefeed clip to an RF engine chipset on the PCB. The feed clip may also beprovided by structures other than that shown, such as by a bonded wire,spring contact pin, a combination of such features or other featuresthat provide for electrically-conductive contact between the monopoleradiator and the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, themonopole radiator is routed in a clockwise pattern for efficientexcitation of the slot antenna mode. In certain embodiments, theradiator performs better when placed closer to the display window.

In another embodiment, a slot only antenna may be used. Due to very lowantenna impedance at LTE low band, the antenna matching circuit designcan become very difficult to operate and sensitive from manufacturingtolerances. Thus, the matched antenna efficiency may be much lower thanin a slot and patch antenna design due to the big insertion loss of thematching circuit for a pure slot antenna, with respect to that for aslot and patch antenna design. The two slot antennas and patch antennawill see three natural resonances for raw antenna impedance, and thematching circuits can be utilized to isolate the needed bands.

In some embodiments, a display window is mechanically coupled to themetal housing. The display window and the metal housing can form asealed enclosure that is water resistant. The device includes a touchmodule and a display module, with the touch module configured to detecttouch input on the display window. The display module is configured todisplay images or information through the display window. Below thetouch and display modules, the metal plate is positioned within themetal housing to form the slot antenna (represented by the gaps betweenthe metal housing or metal button bracket and the metal plate). Themetal plate can be electrically coupled (e.g., grounded) to the metalhousing through a grounding pin. It is to be understood that the numberof grounding pins can vary depending on targeted performancecharacteristics. For example, the number of grounding pins can be atleast 2, at least 3, at least 4, at least 5, and so forth.

An example device can include a component layer on a PCB. The componentlayer can include any appropriate components, as may includemicroprocessors, RAM (random access memory), ROM (read only memory),ASICs (application specific integrated circuit), FPGAs (fieldprogrammable gate array), surface mounted elements, integrated circuits,and the like. The PCB can provide electrical components and circuitrythat directs and interprets electrical signals for the device. Forexample, the PCB can be electrically coupled to the display and touchmodules to interpret touch input and to provide images or information todisplay. The PCB can include a ground plane portion. The PCB can alsoinclude a feed clip portion that does not include conductive elementsother than where the antenna feed clip is mounted on and electricallycoupled to the PCB. For example, the PCB can include a trace thatelectrically couples the ground plane area to the feed clip area, thefeed clip being electrically coupled to the trace in the feed clip area.The ground plane may be provided by a large metalized area, conductivetraces in a printed circuit board or flexible printed circuit board, ametal plate and/or surface within the metal housing, etc. The device canalso include a vibrating motor to provide haptic feedback or tootherwise mechanically vibrate the device. The PCB can be grounded tothe metal housing through one or more grounding screws that electricallycouple the PCB to the metal housing. The battery can be about 0.05 mmbelow the metal plate. In some embodiments, a layer of a non-conductive,low RF loss, rigid material may be inserted to fit in the 0.05 mm gap toattach or otherwise mechanically couple the metal plate to the battery.In some embodiments, the battery is between about 0.01 mm and about 0.1mm below the metal plate, between about 0.03 mm and about 0.7 mm belowthe metal plate, or between about 0.04 mm and about 0.06 mm below themetal plate. Between the battery and component layer, there is adielectric gap (e.g. air or plastic or combination of air and plastic)which creates a back cavity for the slot antenna within an enclosedmetal housing design. The dielectric gap may vary in height, but can beused to ensure isolation between the battery to any component on thecomponent layer. The battery can be about 0.48 mm above the componentlayer. In some embodiments, the battery is between about 0.4 mm andabout 0.6 mm above the component layer, between about 0.42 mm and about0.55 mm above the component layer, or between about 0.45 mm and about0.5 mm above component layer. In some embodiments, as described herein,a plastic bracket can be placed in this gap to support the battery abovethe component layer of the PCB.

Slot+IFA Antenna Design

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view 800 of an example device using a slotantenna and an inverted “F” antenna (IFA) design in accordance with oneembodiment. In this example device, a single slot area 802 is createdfor the slot antenna. An IFA antenna design can attempt to utilize thesame slot as the slot antenna for the IFA. The slot area can includemultiple feed locations. The view 900 of FIG. 9 illustrates the slotgrounds 902 designating the slot antenna area, as well as the locationof an IFA antenna feed 904. An introduced IFA antenna element providesthe natural resonance of the antenna at, for example, the LTE LBfrequency range. The structure of the IFA grounding path, which isconnected to the conductive device housing 1006 as illustrated in thecross-section view of FIG. 10, can be used as a contact point to excitethe slot antenna. In conventional designs, the IFA ground wouldtypically instead be on the PCB. The ability to use the grounding pathin such a way can help to reduce the number of feed points for theantenna assembly. The use of the grounding path can also help tomitigate isolation issues by adding additional feeds to the device. TheIFA-excited slot antenna can provide frequency coverage for other bands,such as for the GNSS and LTE HB (high-band) frequencies. A second feedcan be used to directly feed the slot antenna, which can be used togenerate the resonance to cover a frequency band at, for example,BLUETOOTH and/or Wi-Fi frequencies.

In the view 1000 of FIG. 10, a slot antenna feed 1002 is illustratedbelow the cover glass 1020 and display module 1018 of the electronicdevice to couple the PCB 1016 to the metal housing 1006. An IFA antennafeed 1004 is illustrated in the gap between the display module 1018 andthe PCB 1016 to couple the IFA antenna to the PCB 1016, again shieldedusing an appropriate PCB shield 1014. The battery 1008 and batterybracket 1010 in this example are separated from the PCB 1016 by a backcavity 1012 as discussed herein. In one example device, the slot antennacan be utilized for single or multiple half wavelengths, such as may beuseful for the LTE middle band (˜2 GHz), GNSS, BLUETOOTH, and Wi-Fifrequency bands. The IFA antenna can be used at, for example, the LTElow band (<1 GHz) frequency range. The IFA grounding contact point canbe used to excite the slot antenna mode as well, as discussed herein. Inthe perspective view 1100 of FIG. 11, which is inverted relative to theview 1000 of FIG. 10, the plastic sealing ledge 1102 and IFA antennaradiator 1104 are illustrated relative to the display and cover glass.The IFA feed point 1106 is illustrated, as well as the IFA groundingpoint 1108, which can be used to control operation of the IFA antenna.The IFA grounding point in this example also functions as an excitingpoint for the slot antenna.

In another embodiment, a pure slot antenna or slot plus monopole antennadesign can be utilized Similar to the slot and patch antenna, the IFAstructure provides a higher antenna impedance compared to the pure slotor slot plus monopole antenna designs. The high antenna impedance helpsto reduce the matching circuit loss and reduce the sensitivity antennatolerances, compared to pure slot or slot plus monopole antenna designsat, for example, the LTE low band

Hybrid Slot Antenna Design

FIG. 12 illustrates a top view 1200 of components of an example devicedesign incorporating what is referred to herein as a hybrid slotantenna. In this example, two hybrid slots are illustrated. The twohybrid slot design utilizes a combination design with two internal slotantenna portions 1202 and 1204 and a shared external slot antennaportion 1312 which is the plastic gap illustrated in FIG. 13. Theinternals slots 1202, 1204 are formed between the PCB 1308 and theconductive housing 1302 and utilize the cavity 1306 between the PCB 1308and the battery 1304 or battery bracket [not shown]. The external slot1312 is plastic gap in the conducting housing 1302 that extends from theopening for the display cover glass 1314 to the sensor window 1504 inFIG. 15. Feed points 1207, 1208 are illustrated respectively for hybridslot 1202 and hybrid slot 1204. The two hybrid slot antennas areseparated in part by a gap 1210 of plastic or another non-conductivematerial and two ground connections 1209 from PCB to the metal housing.The feed 1207 is coupled from PCB 1308 to conductive housing 1302 whichsupports resonances for LTE LB, HB, and GNSS or only for LTE LB and HB.The feed 1208 is coupled from PCB 1308 to conductive housing 1302 whichsupports resonances for Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH or Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH, andGNSS. Such an implementation can help significantly reduce the number ofsurface cuts needed, as well as the length of those surface cuts,compared to a conventional external slot antenna, which cansignificantly impact the flexibility in industrial design. A hybriddesign can also achieve significantly better antenna efficiency comparedto a purely internal slot antenna design, such has been used for fullmetal housing smart watches and fitness trackers, among other suchdevices.

FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-section view 1300 of the layered componentsof one such device. In this example, a display shield 1310 isillustrated with respect to the cover glass and display 1314. Thebattery 1304 is positioned inside the conductive housing 1302. Thebattery forms a back cavity 1306 in its separation from the PCB 1308. Asillustrated, a plastic gap 1312 can be formed in the conductive housing1302. In an example hybrid slot antenna device, each antenna portion canfunction as a quarter wavelength or higher order wavelength slotantenna. A quarter wavelength or higher order wavelength slot antennacan be used for the LTE low band (<1 GHz), LTE middle band (˜2 GHz),GNSS, BLUETOOTH, and Wi-Fi band ranges, among others. For a hybrid slotantenna, each slot antenna has part of the antenna slot area inside thehousing utilizing the gap between the PCB 1308 and the metal housing1302. The display shield 1310 can isolate the display from the slotantennas 1202, 1204 and improve the performance of the slot antennas1202, 1204. Further, part of the antenna slot is on the outer surface ofhousing utilizing the plastic gap 1312 in the housing, forming both aninternal slot and an external slot. FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrateperspective views 1400, 1500, illustrating positions of thenon-conductive gap with respect to other components of the exampledevice a discussed herein.

In another embodiment, an internal slot antenna design can be used witha full metal housing. An external slot antenna design can also be usedfor a metal housing with surface cuts. Compared to an internal slotantenna design, a hybrid slot antenna can achieve much better antennaefficiency. Compared to the external slot antenna design, a hybrid slotantenna can help significantly reduce the number of metal surface cuts,as well as the length of each surface cut.

FIGS. 16-19 illustrate views 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900 of an external slotantenna implementation that can be utilized in accordance with variousembodiments. In this example design, there are four ports 1602, 1604,1606, 1608 illustrated, along with the non-conductive gap 1610 at anexterior of the housing as illustrated in FIG. 16. FIG. 17 illustrates across-section of the device, including components such as the displaymodule 1708, PCB 1706, and battery 1704 inside the conductive housing1702. FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate back perspective views illustratingexample placement of the ports 1802, 1804, 1806, 1808 and 1902, 1904,1906, 1908. In this example, two of the ports 1602, 1604 are for antennafeeds and the other two ports 1606, 1608 can be lumped components, openconnections, or short connections. In FIG. 18 a set of biometriccomponents 1810 is displayed, as may include emitters and detectorscapable of making biometric measurements for a person wearing the deviceas discussed herein. In some embodiments, ports 1902, 1904, 1906, and1908 are aligned with ports 1802, 1804, 1806, 1808 and ports 1602, 1604,1606, 1808.

Split Ring Antenna Design

FIG. 20 illustrates a top view 2000 of an example electronic deviceutilizing a split ring antenna design. A split ring antenna inaccordance with one embodiment features separate antenna elements 2002,2004, 2006, 2008 separated by splits 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 introducedon a ring-like conductive element. A first antenna portion 2008 can beused for BLUETOOTH and Wi-Fi communications, a second antenna portion2002 for LTE low band communications, a third antenna portion 2006 forGPS communications, and a fourth antenna portion 2004 for LTE high bandcommunications, although other communications and element portions canbe utilized as well within the scope of the various embodiments. In thisexample the multi-part element is situated on or near the top side ofthe housing 2108 as illustrated in the exterior perspective view 2100 ofFIG. 21. Three of the parts 2102, 2104, 2106 are illustrated in FIG. 21,which correspond to three of the four antenna portions. A process suchas nano-molding can be used to obtain the gaps in a plastic housing,creating four monopole antennas from the split metal ring. A split ringantenna design allows the designer to regulate the directivity of theGPS radiation pattern towards the sky, effectively increasing UHIS(Upper Hemisphere) and PIGS (Partial Isotropic GPS Sensitivity)efficiencies for common use cases, such as a user wearing the devicewhile running. Such a design can have a higher antenna efficiency thanfor antenna designs integrated in a full metal housing, particularly forlow band frequencies such as LTE Band 13. The low band is currently apreferred frequency band of at least some cellular operators due to thepropagation benefits of the lower frequency. This benefit enables thedesign to meet the cellular operator specifications for Voice over LTE,for example, where a minimum total radiated power is required to acceptthe device in their network. A split antenna design also enables there-use of the antenna elements as ECG electrodes. For example, the twolarger elements can be used as one ECG electrode, which may interfacewith the user, as well as a bottom of the device functioning as theother electrode. Such a design enables the use of bandpass filters andother such elements to isolate the individual antenna elements.

In one example embodiment, the device housing can be mostly plastic orpolymer, while the four antenna elements are implemented using a splitmetal ring, or other such conductive element. An antenna matchingcircuit and one or more filters can be used to manage the isolationbetween each of the antenna elements of the split ring. In analternative embodiment, a plastic housing can be used with an externalECG electrode and at least one internal monopole antenna. FIGS. 22 and23 illustrate example circuits that can be used for different portionoptions. For example, the circuit 2200 of FIG. 22 can be used for a fourengine ports option, including RF ports for BLUETOOTH/Wi-Fi, GPS, LTElow band, and LTE high band. Appropriate bandpass filters can be appliedto all but the LTE low band port, and appropriate antenna matchingcircuitry used for each respective port. The circuit 2300 of FIG. 23 canbe used for a three engine port option, including RF ports forBLUETOOTH/Wi-Fi, GNSS, and LTE high band/low band. An LTE diplexer canbe used for the LTE port to split the low band and high band, with a GPSextractor potentially used as a GPS band notch filter. A bandpass filtercan be applied to the BLUETOOTH/Wi-Fi port, and appropriate antennamatching circuitry used for each respective port.

Dielectrically Loaded PIFA Design

FIG. 24 illustrates a cross-section view 2400 showing components of anexample device utilizing a dielectrically loaded planar inverted “F”antenna (PIFA) in accordance with one embodiment. In this example, thedevice takes advantage of a conductive display bracket and an invertedPCB. The dielectrically loaded PIFA in this example is integrated insidea full metal housing consisting of a conductive display bracket, wherethe conductive display bracket and the PCB forms the planar IFA antenna.The conductive display bracket houses the display flexes and displayassembly, with an NFC antenna on top. An inverted PCB is positionedbelow the bracket to form a cavity 2402, also illustrated 2502 in theperspective view 2500 of FIG. 25. The cavity is loaded with a dielectricmaterial to shift the natural resonance of the structure to the LTE lowband that is to be covered. In one embodiment, the design can cover theLTE low band as well as a range for BLUETOOTH and Wi-Fi. A remainder ofthe frequency bands, such as for GPS and LTE Band 4, can be providedusing monopole antennas integrated in the sides of the display. Anadvantage of such a design is that the natural resonance of thestructure provides for good impedance at the low band, enabling thedesigner to match it to the recommended −6 dB return loss that may berequired by the transceiver to operate properly. Such an approach canhelp reduce the matching losses and result in much higher efficiencythan other designs featuring conventional monopole antennas. In analternative embodiment, one or more monopole antennas can be used insidea metal housing. Such a design can have very low impedance, however, andcan result in very high matching losses which may result in lower totalantenna efficiency.

As mentioned, the various embodiments can be implemented as a systemthat includes one or more tracking devices for a given user. In someinstances aspects of the embodiments may be provided as a service, whichusers can utilize for their devices. Other tracker providers may alsosubscribe or utilize such a service for their customers. In someembodiments an application programming interface (API) or other suchinterface may be exposed that enables collected body data, and otherinformation, to be received to the service, which can process theinformation and send the results back down to the tracker, or relatedcomputing device, for access by the user. In some embodiments at leastsome of the processing may be done on the tracking or computing deviceitself, but processing by a remote system or service may allow for morerobust processing, particularly for tracking devices with limitedcapacity or processing capability.

Internal Split Ring Antenna Design

FIG. 26 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 2600with an internal split ring antenna, in accordance with one or moreembodiments. The electronic device 2600 includes a housing 2602, whichmay be made of a nonconductive material such as plastic. The housing2602 may include an opening through which a display module 2604 ispositioned. The housing 2602 may further include one or more cavities orcompartments 2606 formed therein for holding various internal componentsof the electronic device 2600. For example, an electronics module, suchas a printed circuit board (PCB), may be positioned inside a cavity ofthe housing. The electronics module may include one or more signalsources (e.g., transmitters, receivers, transceivers) that generate orreceive signals for wireless communications. The electronic device 2600further includes a split-ring antenna 2608 embedded within the housing.FIG. 27 illustrates a top view 2700 of an internal split ring antennadesign and a PCB, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

As illustrated in FIG. 27, the split-ring antenna 2702 includes aplurality of primary conductive elements 2704 a, 2704 b, 2704 c, 2704 dembedded in the housing 2602 (FIG. 26) and positioned in a ring-likeconfiguration. The plurality of conductive elements 2704 a, 2704 b, 2704c, 2704 d are individually coupled to the electronics module (e.g., PCB)2706 where they are placed in communication with the one or more signalsources, acting as antennas. Thus, the plurality of conductive elements2704 a, 2704 b, 2704 c, 2704 d may radiate respective signals from theone or more signal sources and/or receive signals to receivers.Specifically, in some embodiments, the electronics module 2706 mayinclude antenna matching circuitry coupling the plurality of conductiveelements to two or more RF receivers or transceivers. Electromagneticfields induce the metal elements to transmit or receive radio frequency(RF) signals over respective frequency bands. In some embodiments, theplurality of primary conductive elements includes two relatively longelements 2704 a, 2704 c positioned opposite each other and tworelatively short elements 2704 b, 2704 d positioned opposite each other.In some embodiments, the plurality of primary conductive elements 2704a, 2704 b, 2704 c, 2704 d includes at least two elements selected from agroup comprising: a first conductive element configured to transmit orreceive at least one of BLUETOOTH and Wi-Fi communications, a secondconductive element configured to transmit or receive Long-Term Evolution(LTE) low band communications, a third conductive element configured totransmit or receive global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communications, and a fourth conductive element configured to transmitor receive LTE high band communications.

FIG. 28 illustrates a perspective view 2800 of the internal split ringantenna design, in accordance with one or more embodiments. Asillustrated, a secondary conductive element 2802 is positioned adistance away from the primary conductive elements 2704 a, 2704 b, 2704c, 2704 d. The secondary conductive element 2802 is designed to increasethe strength of the signals radiated from the plurality of primaryconductive elements 2704 a, 2704 b, 2704 c, 2704 d. In some embodiments,the secondary conductive element 2802 includes a ground extensionelement, such as a signal boosting ring as illustrated, positioned adistance away from the ring of the primary conductive elements 2704 a,2704 b, 2704 c, 2704 d in an opposite direction from the display module(FIG. 26). The ground extension element 2802 is coupled to a groundconnection of the electronics module 2706, for example via a flex cable2804 or other conductor. In some embodiments, the ground extensionelement 2802 is conductive and shaped like a ring or plate. In someembodiments, the ground extension element 2802 has a geometricallysimilar perimeter as the primary conductive ring formed by the pluralityof primary conductive elements 2704 a, 2704 b, 2704 c, 2704 d. In someembodiments, both the ground extension element 2802 and the primaryconductive ring formed by the plurality of primary conductive elements2704 a, 2704 b, 2704 c, 2704 d is geometrically similar to the perimeteror shape of the housing. The ground extension element 2802 increases thestrength of the signals radiated from the plurality of conductiveelements 2704 a, 2704 b, 2704 c, 2704 d of the primary conductive ring.

In some embodiments, the ground extension element 2802 is coupled orgrounded to a sensor module 2806 (e.g., sensor circuit board) that mayinclude one or more physiological sensors mounted thereon. For example,the physiological sensors may include a heart rate sensor, oxygensensor, moisture sensor, among others. In some embodiments, the groundextension element 2802 and the sensor module 2806 make up a ground plane2808, and are positioned a distance away from the main electronicsmodule 2706 (e.g., PCB) and the primary antenna ring 2702. One or moreelectronic components may be positioned between the main electronicsmodule 2706 and the ground plane 2808. For example, a power source(e.g., battery) may be positioned between the main electronics module2706 and the ground plane 2808. In some embodiments, there may be a gap(e.g., ˜0.5 mm) between the electronic components and the ground plane2808. The ground plane 2808 may act has a parasitic or signal boostingmechanism.

FIG. 29 illustrates a top view of a signal boosting ring 2902electrically coupled to a sensor module 2904, in accordance with one ormore embodiments. FIGS. 30A-30C illustrate various signal boosting ringdesigns, in accordance with one or more embodiments. In someembodiments, signal boosting may be enhanced by increasing the surfacearea of the signal boosting ring. As illustrated, the boosting ring 3004design of FIG. 30B has an extended perimeter and may provide more signalboost than the boosting ring 3002 design of FIG. 30A. As anotherexample, the boosting ring 3006 design of FIG. 30C has inwardlyextending surface area and may provide further enhanced signal boost.

FIG. 31 illustrates an example of a wearable device 3100 with aconductive back-plate 3102 that provides antenna signal boosting. Thewearable device 3100 includes a device housing 3104 and an attachmentmechanism 3106 connected to the device housing 3104 and enabling thewearable computing device 3100 to be worn by a user. The illustratedexample is a smart watch, in which the attachment mechanism 3106 is awatch strap. However, the wearable device may be any type of wearabledevice, such as a clip-on device, a ring, a necklace, a patch, animplant, among many others. The wearable device further includes anelectronics module, such as that illustrated in FIGS. 27 and 28,comprising a processor and one or more signal sources, a power source,and a display for displaying content under instruction of the processor.The wearable device also includes a plurality of primary conductiveelements or antennas embedded in the device housing and positioned in aring-like configuration, such as described above with respect to FIG.27. The plurality of conductive elements separated from each other byportions of the device housing and coupled to the one or more signalsources, in which the plurality of conductive elements of the primaryconductive ring radiate respective signals from the one or more signalsources. The wearable device also includes a secondary conductiveelement, such as that illustrated in FIG. 28, positioned a distance awayfrom the primary conductive elements in an opposite direction from thedisplay module, in which the secondary conductive element increases thestrength of the signals radiated from the plurality of primaryconductive elements. In the embodiment illustrated, in FIG. 31, thewearable device includes a back-plate, in which the back-plate is orincludes the secondary conductive element. In some embodiments, theback-plate is formed from a conductive material such as aluminum orstainless steel. FIG. 32 illustrates an example of a back-plate 3200 fora wearable device that has a conductive coating 3202 applied thereon,which provides the antenna signal boosting. The base material 3204 ofthe back-plate 3200 may be plastic or other material different from thecoating material 3202.

FIG. 33 illustrates components of an example tracker system 3300 thatcan be utilized in accordance with various embodiments. In this example,the device includes at least one processor 3302, such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU) for executinginstructions that can be stored in a memory device 3304, such as mayinclude flash memory or DRAM, among other such options. As would beapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the device can includemany types of memory, data storage, or computer-readable media, such asdata storage for program instructions for execution by a processor. Thesame or separate storage can be used for images or data, a removablememory can be available for sharing information with other devices, andany number of communication approaches can be available for sharing withother devices. The device typically will include some type of display3306, such as a touch screen, organic light emitting diode (OLED), orliquid crystal display (LCD), although devices might convey informationvia other means, such as through audio speakers or projectors.

A tracker or similar device will include at least one motion detectionsensor, which as illustrated can include at least one I/O element 3310of the device. Such a sensor can determine and/or detect orientationand/or movement of the device. Such an element can include, for example,an accelerometer, inertial sensor, altimeter, or gyroscope operable todetect movement (e.g., rotational movement, angular displacement, tilt,position, orientation, motion along a non-linear path, etc.) of thedevice. An orientation determining element can also include anelectronic or digital compass, which can indicate a direction (e.g.,north or south) in which the device is determined to be pointing (e.g.,with respect to a primary axis or other such aspect). A device may alsoinclude an I/O element 3310 for determining a location of the device (orthe user of the device). Such a positioning element can include orcomprise a GNSS or similar location-determining element(s) operable todetermine relative coordinates for a position of the device. Positioningelements may include wireless access points, base stations, etc., thatmay either broadcast location information or enable triangulation ofsignals to determine the location of the device. Other positioningelements may include QR codes, barcodes, RFID tags, NFC tags, etc., thatenable the device to detect and receive location information oridentifiers that enable the device to obtain the location information(e.g., by mapping the identifiers to a corresponding location). Variousembodiments can include one or more such elements in any appropriatecombination. The I/O elements may also include one or more biometricsensors, optical sensors, barometric sensors (e.g., altimeter, etc.),and the like.

As mentioned above, some embodiments use the element(s) to track thelocation and/or motion of a user. Upon determining an initial positionof a device (e.g., using GNSS), the device of some embodiments may keeptrack of the location of the device by using the element(s), or in someinstances, by using the orientation determining element(s) as mentionedabove, or a combination thereof. As should be understood, the algorithmsor mechanisms used for determining a position and/or orientation candepend at least in part upon the selection of elements available to thedevice. The example device also includes one or more wireless components3312 operable to communicate with one or more electronic devices withina communication range of the particular wireless channel. The wirelesschannel can be any appropriate channel used to enable devices tocommunicate wirelessly, such as Bluetooth, cellular, NFC, or Wi-Fichannels. It should be understood that the device can have one or moreconventional wired communications connections as known in the art. Thedevice also includes one or more power components 3308, such as mayinclude a battery operable to be recharged through conventional plug-inapproaches, or through other approaches such as wireless or inductivecharging through proximity with a power mat or other such device. Insome embodiments the device can include at least one additionalinput/output device 3310 able to receive conventional input from a user.This conventional input can include, for example, a push button, touchpad, touch screen, wheel, joystick, keyboard, mouse, keypad, or anyother such device or element whereby a user can input a command to thedevice. These I/O devices could even be connected by a wireless infraredor Bluetooth or other link as well in some embodiments. Some devicesalso can include a microphone or other audio capture element thataccepts voice or other audio commands. For example, a device might notinclude any buttons at all, but might be controlled only through acombination of visual and audio commands, such that a user can controlthe device without having to be in contact with the device.

As mentioned, many embodiments will include at least some combination ofone or more emitters 3316 and one or more detectors 3318 for measuringdata for one or more metrics of a human body, such as for a personwearing the tracker device. In some embodiments this may involve atleast one imaging element, such as one or more cameras that are able tocapture images of the surrounding environment and that are able to imagea user, people, or objects in the vicinity of the device. The imagecapture element can include any appropriate technology, such as a CCDimage capture element having a sufficient resolution, focal range, andviewable area to capture an image of the user when the user is operatingthe device. Methods for capturing images using a camera element with acomputing device are well known in the art and will not be discussedherein in detail. It should be understood that image capture can beperformed using a single image, multiple images, periodic imaging,continuous image capturing, image streaming, etc. Further, a device caninclude the ability to start and/or stop image capture, such as whenreceiving a command from a user, application, or other device. Theexample device includes emitters 3316 and detectors 3318 capable ofbeing used for obtaining other biometric data, which can be used withexample circuitry discussed herein.

If included, a display 3306 may provide an interface for displayingdata, such as heart rate (HR), electrocardiogram (ECG) data, bloodoxygen saturation (SpO₂) levels, and other metrics of the user. In anembodiment, the device includes a wristband and the display isconfigured such that the display faces away from the outside of a user'swrist when the user wears the device. In other embodiments, the displaymay be omitted and data detected by the device may be transmitted usingthe wireless networking interface via near-field communication (NFC),Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other suitable wireless communication protocolsover at least one network 3320 to a host computer 3322 for analysis,display, reporting, or other such use.

The memory 3304 may comprise RAM, ROM, FLASH memory, or othernon-transitory digital data storage, and may include a control programcomprising sequences of instructions which, when loaded from the memoryand executed using the processor 3302, cause the processor 3302 toperform the functions that are described herein. The emitters 3316 anddetectors 3318 may be coupled to a bus directly or indirectly usingdriver circuitry by which the processor 3302 may drive the lightemitters 3316 and obtain signals from the light detectors 3318. The hostcomputer 3322 communicate with the wireless networking components 3312via one or more networks 3320, which may include one or more local areanetworks, wide area networks, and/or internetworks using any ofterrestrial or satellite links. In some embodiments, the host computer3322 executes control programs and/or application programs that areconfigured to perform some of the functions described herein.

In various embodiments, approaches discussed herein may be performed byone or more of: firmware operating on a monitoring or tracker device ora secondary device, such as a mobile device paired to the monitoringdevice, a server, host computer, and the like. For example, themonitoring device may execute operations relating to generating signalsthat are uploaded or otherwise communicated to a server that performsoperations for removing the motion components and creating a finalestimate value for physiological metrics. Alternatively, the monitoringdevice may execute operations relating to generating the monitoringsignals and removing the motion components to produce a final estimatevalue for physiological metrics local to the monitoring device. In thiscase, the final estimate may be uploaded or otherwise communicated to aserver such as host computer that performs other operations using thevalue.

An example monitoring or tracker device can collect one or more types ofphysiological and/or environmental data from one or more sensor(s)and/or external devices and communicate or relay such information toother devices (e.g., host computer or another server), thus permittingthe collected data to be viewed, for example, using a web browser ornetwork-based application. For example, while being worn by the user, atracker device may perform biometric monitoring via calculating andstoring the user's step count using one or more sensor(s). The trackerdevice may transmit data representative of the user's step count to anaccount on a web service (e.g., www.fitbit.com), computer, mobile phone,and/or health station where the data may be stored, processed, and/orvisualized by the user. The tracker device may measure or calculateother physiological metric(s) in addition to, or in place of, the user'sstep count. Such physiological metric(s) may include, but are notlimited to: energy expenditure, e.g., calorie burn; floors climbedand/or descended; HR; heartbeat waveform; HR variability; HR recovery;respiration, SpO₂, blood volume, blood glucose, skin moisture and skinpigmentation level, location and/or heading (e.g., via a globalpositioning system (GPS), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), ora similar system); elevation; ambulatory speed and/or distance traveled;swimming lap count; swimming stroke type and count detected; bicycledistance and/or speed; blood glucose; skin conduction; skin and/or bodytemperature; muscle state measured via electromyography; brain activityas measured by electroencephalography; weight; body fat; caloric intake;nutritional intake from food; medication intake; sleep periods (e.g.,clock time, sleep phases, sleep quality and/or duration); pH levels;hydration levels; respiration rate; and/or other physiological metrics.

An example tracker or monitoring device may also measure or calculatemetrics related to the environment around the user (e.g., with one ormore environmental sensor(s)), such as, for example, barometricpressure, weather conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, pollen count,air quality, rain/snow conditions, wind speed), light exposure (e.g.,ambient light, ultra-violet (UV) light exposure, time and/or durationspent in darkness), noise exposure, radiation exposure, and/or magneticfield. Furthermore, a tracker device (and/or the host computer and/oranother server) may collect data from one or more sensors of the device,and may calculate metrics derived from such data. For example, a trackerdevice may calculate the user's stress or relaxation levels based on acombination of HR variability, skin conduction, noise pollution, and/orsleep quality. In another example, a tracker device may determine theefficacy of a medical intervention, for example, medication, based on acombination of data relating to medication intake, sleep, and/oractivity. In yet another example, a tracker device may determine theefficacy of an allergy medication based on a combination of datarelating to pollen levels, medication intake, sleep and/or activity.These examples are provided for illustration only and are not intendedto be limiting or exhaustive.

An example monitoring device may include a computer-readable storagemedia reader, a communications device (e.g., a modem, a network card(wireless or wired), an infrared communication device) and workingmemory as described above. The computer-readable storage media readercan be connected with, or configured to receive, a computer-readablestorage medium representing remote, local, fixed and/or removablestorage devices as well as storage media for temporarily and/or morepermanently containing, storing, transmitting and retrievingcomputer-readable information. A monitoring system and various devicesalso typically will include a number of software applications, modules,services or other elements located within at least one working memorydevice, including an operating system and application programs such as aclient application or Web browser. It should be appreciated thatalternate embodiments may have numerous variations from that describedabove. For example, customized hardware might also be used and/orparticular elements might be implemented in hardware, software(including portable software, such as applets) or both. Further,connection to other computing devices such as network input/outputdevices may be employed.

Storage media and other non-transitory computer readable media forcontaining code, or portions of code, can include any appropriate mediaknown or used in the art, such as but not limited to volatile andnon-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data,including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology,CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices or any other medium which can be used to store thedesired information and which can be accessed by a system device. Basedon the disclosure and teachings provided herein, a person of ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate other ways and/or methods to implementthe various embodiments.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a housing; adisplay module positioned at an opening of the housing; a printedcircuit board (PCB) positioned within the housing, the PCB having one ormore signal sources mounted thereon; a primary conductive ring embeddedin the housing, the primary conductive ring comprising a plurality ofconductive elements separated from each other by portions of thehousing, the plurality of conductive elements coupled respectively tothe one or more signal sources on the PCB; and a ground extensionelement positioned a distance away from the primary conductive ring inan opposite direction from the display module, the ground extensionelement coupled to a ground connection of the PCB.
 2. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the ground extension element comprises asecond conductive ring.
 3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein theground extension element includes additional surface area extending fromone or more portions of the second conductive ring.
 4. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the ground extension element has ageometrically similar perimeter as the primary conductive ring or thehousing.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofconductive elements of the primary conductive ring radiate respectivesignals from the one or more signal sources.
 6. The electronic device ofclaim 5, wherein the ground extension element increases the strength ofthe signals radiated from the plurality of conductive elements of theprimary conductive ring.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, whereinone or more electronic components are positioned between the primaryconductive ring and the ground extension element.
 8. The electronicdevice of claim 7, wherein the one or more electronic componentsincludes a battery, and wherein the battery and the ground extensionelement are separated by a gap.
 9. The electronic device of claim 1,further comprising a sensor module coupled to the ground extensionelement, the sensor module comprising one or more physiological sensors.10. An electronic device, comprising: a housing; an electronics modulecomprising one or more signal sources; a plurality of primary conductiveelements embedded in the housing and positioned in a ring-likeconfiguration, the plurality of conductive elements separated from eachother by portions of the housing and respectively coupled to the one ormore signal sources, wherein the plurality of conductive elements of theprimary conductive ring radiate respective signals from the one or moresignal sources; and a secondary conductive element positioned a distanceaway from the primary conductive elements, wherein the secondaryconductive element increases the strength of the signals radiated fromthe plurality of primary conductive elements.
 11. The electronic deviceof claim 10, further comprising a back-plate, wherein back-plateincludes the secondary conductive element.
 12. The electronic device ofclaim 11, wherein the back-plate is formed from or at least partiallycoated with a conductive material.
 13. The electronic device of claim10, wherein the primary conductive ring embedded in the housing isvisible and located on the outside surface of the housing.
 14. Theelectronic device of claim 11, wherein the back-plate includes one ormore ports for one or more physiological sensors.
 15. The electronicdevice of claim 10, wherein the secondary conductive element includes aground extension element, the ground extension element coupled to aground connection of the electronics module.
 16. A wearable computingdevice, comprising: a device housing; an attachment mechanism connectedto the device housing and enabling the wearable computing device to beworn by a user; an electronics module comprising a processor and one ormore signal sources; a power source; a display for displaying contentunder instruction of the processor; a plurality of primary conductiveelements embedded in the device housing and positioned in a ring-likeconfiguration, the plurality of conductive elements separated from eachother by portions of the device housing and coupled to the one or moresignal sources, wherein the plurality of conductive elements of theprimary conductive ring radiate respective signals from the one or moresignal sources; and a secondary conductive element positioned a distanceaway from the primary conductive elements in an opposite direction fromthe display module, wherein the secondary conductive element increasesthe strength of the signals radiated from the plurality of primaryconductive elements.
 17. The wearable computing device of claim 16,wherein the electronics module further includes antenna matchingcircuitry coupling the plurality of conductive elements to two or moreradio frequency (RF) receivers or transceivers, wherein electromagneticfields induce the plurality of primary conductive elements to transmitor receive RF signals over respective frequency bands.
 18. The wearablecomputing device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of primaryconductive elements comprise two relatively long elements positionedopposite each other and two relatively short elements positionedopposite each other.
 19. The wearable computing device of claim 16,wherein the plurality of primary conductive elements includes at leasttwo elements selected from a group comprising: a first conductiveelement configured to transmit or receive at least one of BLUETOOTH andWi-Fi communications, a second conductive element configured to transmitor receive Long-Term Evolution (LTE) low band communications, a thirdconductive element configured to transmit or receive global positioningsystem (GPS) communications, and a fourth conductive element configuredto transmit or receive LTE high band communications.
 20. The wearablecomputing device of claim 16, wherein the secondary conductive elementincludes a ground extension element, the ground extension elementcoupled to a ground connection of the electronics module.